Four-way tussle for yacht title

Press, 10 January 1983, Page 3

Four-way tussle for yacht title

By

JOHN COFFEY

Four helmsmen will go to the start line with serious title aspirations when the final heat of the national Zephyr class yachting championship is sailed at the Estuary this after- noon.

Max Walker, from Hamilton, joined three Canterbury skippers, John Morrison (Canterbury), Ken Maynard (Christchurch) and Craig Rosevear (Mount Pleasant), in contention for over-all victory when he won the fourth race yester- day. The runner-up in several previous contests. Walker made a somewhat modest start to the series when he was fourth in the opening event and withdrew from the second heat.

However, a second placing behind Maynard on Saturday hinted of better things to come, and Walker turned potential into the finished product when he gained line honours by 49s yesterday.

After discarding his withdrawal, Walker has conceded 11 points. But he cannot afford to relax his efforts today, for Morrison (13.7), Maynard (14) and Rosevear (16) are all poised to mount strong -challenges. Maynard on Saturday became the only competitor to win twice, but he, too, withdrew on Friday, and he slipped down the table when he was eighth yesterday. He had to work hard even to salvage that position, having been sixteenth at the completion of the first triangle. Of the leaders, only Morri-

son has managed to finish in the first six in each appearance. Rosevear was only sixteenth on • Saturday before recovering to fifth yesterday. Maynard was in front throughout the course on Saturday and had a margin of 40s over Walker, who spent much of the race gaining the upper hand in a tussle for second place with Don Le Page (Christchurch). Le Page finally had to be content with fourth behind Clynton Leuty (French Bay), with Jim Brokenshire (Hamilton) fifth and Morrison sixth. The North Island contingent came to the fore yesterday, Walker leading home Ross Wilson (Waiuku) and Leuty. Although he had a brief turn in front near the wind mark on the first circuit, Walker trailed Jim Park (Christchurch) and then Wilson for much of the time, achieving his winning break on the last two legs. It was in the later , stages, also, that Morrison (fourth), Rosevear (fifth) -and, especially, Maynard (eighth) made progress to keep their championship hopes very much alive.

Meanwhile, at Lyttelton, the exceptional skills which carried David Barnes and Hamish Willcox to victory in the 1981 world championship were very much in evidence during the invitation race to the national 470 class championship. Barnes and Willcox must have gained a marked psychological boost for their defence of the title as they

humbled some very capable crews. At one stage they were more than 2min ahead and eventually coasted over the finishing line 56s to the good of Chris Dickson and Sean Reeves (Auckland), who had chased them all of .the way. While most of the 470 crews had a thorough workout, all but a few of the Finn yachtsmen took little more than a cursory look at the harbour upon which their championship will also be decided. '

The holder, Bruce Deegan, and two of his more accomplished rivals, Richard Dodson and Russell Coutts (all Auckland), had a close duel on the first beat before deciding to save their energies for the championship-proper. As the invitatiqn event neared its end only three boats were left, with Peter Kempkers (Canterbury) well ahead of his remaining pursuers.

Results.Zephyr championship

Race three: K. Maynard (Christchurch) 1. M. Walker (Hamilton) 2. C. Leuty (French Bay) 3, D. Le Page (Christchurch) 4. J. Brokenshire (Hamilton) 5. J. Morrison (Canterbury) 6. G. Badger (Christchurch) 7, S. Wilson (Waiuku) 8. J. Park (Christchurch) 9. R. Roberton (Christchurch) 10.

Race four: Walker 1, R. Wilson (Waiuku) 2. Leuty 3, Morrison 4. C. Rosevear (Mount Pleasant) 5, Park 6. Le Page 7. Maynard 8. Brokenshire 9. Roberton 10.